GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) –The deployment of Navy personnel at Bellin Hospital will continue until the end of February.
The doctors and nurses were sent by the Navy as part of a FEMA effort to provide relief to the hospital, which has been dealing with a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant.
Ashley Lyman is the Director of Nursing and Clinical Practice at Bellin and says the health system asked for the extension.
“The community transmission rate of COVID is very high in our communities,” Lyman told WTAQ. “Our needs here in Green Bay are significant.”
The teams have helped free up additional bed space at the hospital. The hope is that their help won’t be as needed soon, but Lyman says there’s no way to tell.
“We’ve tried to predict over the last two years what will happen [next],” said Lyman. “It’s been really challenging. Every time we think we’re out of a surge, a new variant pops up.”
The team is made up of physicians, nurses, and administrative staff.
